chop wood, carry water
love and adventure are
words that can be found
in any dictionary -
they are simple days
free of high romance,
excitement another
person might call
them boring:
sweep porch
wash dishes
boil rice
boil water
sit at writing desk
sit before shrine
write poems
I left my work to learn how
sit
sleep
& breathe
I count all the people
who have entered
both my life and
heart on
one open
hand
—Shin Yu Pai
previously published in !Tex! magazine